Football
Features
Real Madrid’s global partnership with Microsoft helps club to 30 per cent digital revenue growth
Spanish football giants Real Madrid have grown digital revenues over 30 per cent over the course of five-year partnership with Microsoft, creating a digital marketing platform that allows the club to engage with, and learn from, it's 450 million-strong global fanbase.
DFL wants Virtual Bundesliga to be seen as its third competition brand
The Bundesliga's esports property is seen as a valuable tool with which to engage a younger fanbase and expand the reach of the league and its commercial partners. Story by Bob Williams.
Bayern Munich at crossroads as club prepares for life without Hoeness and Rummenigge
As Bayern Munich have all but elected a new club president, Bob Williams takes a look at how the club's executive board is set to change in the coming seasons.
Kevin Sim – The Bundesliga’s navigator for the Asia-Pac media-rights market
The Bundesliga’s head of APAC Kevin Sim is deep in talks with potential media-rights partners for the cycle from 2020-21. Kevin McCullagh talks to him about his expectations for the market.
SportBusiness Soccer goes live to open new era for football sponsorship
SportBusiness Soccer has gone live with leading clubs from Europe’s major leagues already signed-up as clients.
AS Roma confirms talks with potential investors
AS Roma has confirmed it is in preliminary talks with potential investors over a possible sale of the Italian Serie A club.
Club shares rose 16
Chicago Fire unveils new badge, brand identity ahead of Soldier Field move
Major League Soccer team Chicago Fire has unveiled a comprehensive brand refresh, which includes a new logo and a tweak of its name, ahead of a move to Soldier Field in 2020
Puma triples rights fee in Borussia Dortmund kit deal
Sports brand Puma’s strategy of tying up major European football clubs to kit supplier agreements has generated a substantial new deal with Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund.
Philadelphia Union minority owner launches US soccer-focused investment firm
Philadelphia Union minority owner Richie Graham has formed an investment firm focused on the growth and long-term development of soccer in the United States
Football risks ‘eating itself’ in the race for engagement, but digital may be a small part of the solution
Football has embraced social media in a huge way, but will its focus on digital technology undermine grassroots participation? Frank Dunne asks if the game is in danger of eating itself and looks at what Uefa is doing to prevent this.
Canadian Premier League off to solid start after filling void for players and fans
Seven-team competition is first professional soccer league in Canada since 1992
Clubs have averaged 4,300 fans a game but OneSoccer digital ratings not made public
Aston Villa looking to turn fan engagement into commercial revenue with new loyalty card scheme
Data-led fan engagement platform Fortress and Barclays have developed a new universal payment scheme at Aston Villa FC, aiming to deepen the connection between a club and its fans and open up whole new commercial revenue opportunities in the process.
Sevilla’s back-room operations working to catch up with team performance in modernisation push
Market research conducted in 2014 showed that success on the field was not translating into awareness off it for La Liga side Sevilla FC. Frank Dunne looks at how the club has subsequently addressed this, doubling commercial revenues to €18m.
Liverpool v New Balance: six things we learned
Liverpool FC’s legal dispute with New Balance has provided unprecedented insights into the minutiae of a modern Premier League kit supplier agreement. Ben Cronin looks at some of the details from the case and examines what they say about the club and the brands involved.
Dynamic approach driving Bundesliga internationally
In association with the Bundesliga
The real reason the CFA is letting the CSL fly free: money, of course
Chinese policy towards state ownership of sports leagues has performed a massive U-turn, with oversight of the Chinese Super League being passed to a private entity. SportBusiness looks at why, and what will happen next.
Andrea Radrizzani: “I’m good to go up, it would be great. Otherwise, I need to consider other options.”
English Football League club owners face a near-impossible dilemma. Pushing for the Premier League can risk a club’s entire future, but focusing on sustainability can see a club swallowed up by the pack. SportBusiness Professional spoke to three English club owners, each with distinct ambitions, about why they took the plunge and how they intend to succeed.
Carol Shanahan: “The pros were to help the community, the cons were that we were getting robbed!”
English Football League club owners face a near-impossible dilemma. Pushing for the Premier League can risk a club’s entire future, but focusing on sustainability can see a club swallowed up by the pack. SportBusiness Professional spoke to three English club owners, each with distinct ambitions, about why they took the plunge and how they intend to succeed.
Dale Vince, Forest Green Rovers: “It was two years before we had all the skeletons out of the closet.”
English Football League club owners face a near-impossible dilemma. Pushing for the Premier League can risk a club’s entire future, but focusing on sustainability can see a club swallowed up by the pack. SportBusiness Professional spoke to three English club owners, each with distinct ambitions, about why they took the plunge and how they intend to succeed.
Radrizzani ready to ride again, but for how much longer?
When Andrea Radrizzani bought Leeds United in 2017, the club was in dire straits. It’s now pushing for promotion to the Premier League, but the cost of competition means the clock is ticking. Radrizzani doesn’t want to own a Championship club much longer.
Thai FA president has arresting ambition for SEA leadership
Thai FA president Somyot Poompanmoung is striving to make Thailand the leading football nation in Southeast Asia
Former police chief is pushing the organisation toward greater commercial sophistication
Deal or no deal: what motivates an investor to buy a failing football club?
The allure of promotion and Premier League success has led many an English football team into financial ruin, but liquidations remain rare. With so many rescued from oblivion over the past decade, Callum McCarthy examines why so many see opportunity in struggling football clubs.
Southeast Asia means business as Asean prepares Fifa World Cup 2034 bid
The financial numbers of an Asean World Cup bid in 2034 look positive, especially with a Chinese boost, but will Fifa’s member associations be convinced?
Can data be classed as IP? Sportradar and Genius want to find out
Sportradar contends that Genius Sport's exclusive supplier deal with Football DataCo, the data rights-holder for the English Premier League, EFL and Scottish Football League is anti-competitive. Ben Cronin examines the dispute and asks what it means for the way rights-holders tender their data contracts.
Sportradar and Genius dispute will influence future data deals
Is sports data 'ownable' and can it be treated to same protections from piracy as sports media rights? Ben Cronin thinks the dispute between Sportradar and Genius Sports will influence the way the US major leagues take their data rights to market
Is football the world’s game, or a local game? Charlie Stillitano knows
In an exclusive interview, Charlie Stillitano, executive chairman of Relevent Sports speaks to Callum McCarthy about the ICC, his attempts to bring LaLiga matches to the US and his deep-rooted passion for the sport.
Chicago Fire pushes restart button with new owner and Soldier Field move
Major League Soccer franchise Chicago Fire has recently been taken over by businessman Joe Mansueto. Bob Williams talks to him about his plans for the future of the club.
Vodafone and Bundesliga bridge gap between stadium and living room with 5G first
Vodafone and the Bundesliga launched a world-first use of a 5G mobile network in Wolfsburg’s Volkswagen Arena on Monday night. Adam Nelson reports on how the technology can bring second-screen engagement to the match day experience.